The subject matter herein relates generally to solid state lighting systems and, more particularly, to a light emitting diode (LED) light module.
Solid-state light lighting systems use solid state light sources, such as light emitting diodes (LEDs), and are being used to replace other lighting systems that use other types of light sources, such as incandescent or fluorescent lamps. The solid-state light sources offer advantages over the lamps, such as rapid turn-on, rapid cycling (on-off-on) times, long useful life span, low power consumption, narrow emitted light bandwidths that eliminate the need for color filters to provide desired colors, and so on.
Solid-state lighting systems typically include different components that are assembled together to complete the final system. For example, the system typically consists of a light engine, an optical component and a power supply. It is not uncommon for a customer assembling a lighting system to have to go to many different suppliers for each of the individual components, and then assemble the different components, from different manufacturers together. Purchasing the various components from different sources proves to make integration into a functioning system difficult. This non-integrated approach does not allow the ability to effectively package the final lighting system in a lighting fixture efficiently.
The light engine of the solid state light system generally includes an LED soldered to a circuit board. The circuit board is configured to be mounted in a lighting fixture. The lighting fixture includes the power supply to provide power to the LED. Typically, the circuit board is wired to the lighting fixture using wires that are soldered to the circuit board and the fixture. Generally, wiring the circuit board to the light fixture power source requires several wires and connections. Each wire must be individually joined between the circuit board and the lighting fixture.
Wiring the circuit board with multiple wires generally requires a significant amount of time and space. In fixtures where space is limited, the wires may require additional time to connect. Additionally, having multiple wires to connect requires multiple terminations, increasing the time required to connect the LEDs. Moreover, using multiple wires increases the possibility of mis-wiring the lighting system. In particular, LED light fixtures are frequently installed by unskilled labor, thereby increasing the possibility of mis-wiring. Mis-wiring the lighting system may result in substantial damage to the LED. Also, in a system where wires are soldered between the circuit board and the fixture, the wires and circuit boards become difficult to replace.
Furthermore, the light engines typically generate a lot of heat and it is desirable to use a heat sink to dissipate heat from the system. Heretofore, LED manufacturers have had problems designing a thermal interface that efficiently dissipates heat from the light engine.
A need remains for lighting systems that can be powered efficiently. A need remains for lighting systems with LEDs that have adequate thermal dissipation. A need remains for lighting systems with LEDs that are assembled in an efficient and cost-effective manner. A need remains for a lighting system that may be efficiently configured for an end use application.